Trash The Dress Photos Let Brides Get Down and Dirty in Their Wedding Gowns

Once upon a time, I worked as a bridal consultant in a small wedding dress boutique. So even though I have no plans to get married anytime soon, trust me when I say that I understand the pain women go through when they drop a couple thousand dollars on a dress that they're only ever going to wear once. It's the dress of your dreams, a custom fit, never are you going to feel more beautiful in a dress than you do in this one. So who says your wedding dress has to spend the rest of its life taking up space in the back of your closet, gathering dust? Let your dress go out with a bang! Tons of brides have taken their gowns on ocean swims, forest walks, and horseback rides for an epic and gorgeous "Trash the Dress" photo shoot. You'll only be wearing it once, might as well do something cool with it!

Before you freak at the idea of cliff diving into the ocean in the gown you spent all night terrified of spilling red wine on, you just have to see how beautiful and fun these pictures are.

The idea is to finally relax in your dream dress, let your hair down, and have some fun wearing your wedding gown one last time. It's liberating! It's creative! It's fun! You can take your dress to the city streets, on rooftops, or even dirty, grimy construction sites for an awesome juxtaposed shot. It's totally fearless and what better way to say goodbye to the outfit you've just celebrated one of the best days of your life in?

The first photographer to convince a bride to drag her probably most expensive article of clothing through the mud was Las Vegas wedding photographer John Michael Cooper, who — after becoming bored of the traditional, stiff wedding portraits — started asking brides to pose in edgier and more unique locations after their big day. Since then, brides have taken the trend and made it their own, from setting fire to their dresses to including their new partners in the shoot. Spending a day in a romantic cave or having a blast throwing paint on each other? Sounds like the perfect way to let loose after the stress of your wedding and an awesome way to start off your lives together.

Check out these other lovely and lighthearted shots from some pretty courageous brides. And if you have a lonely wedding gown still hanging in your closet, be brave, get creative, and trash the dress!